Cut-out apparatus for electric lamps



(No Model.)

B. THOMSON.

GUT-OUT APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

No. 350,955. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

ELIHU THOMSON, CF NEXV BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNCR TO THETHOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

CUT-OUT APPARATUS FOR ELEGTREG LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,955, dated Qotober19, 1886.

Application filed December 18, 1883. Serial No. 111K967. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIHU THOMSON, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New Brita-in, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCut-Out Apparatus for Electric Lamps, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to apparatus for pro viding a branch circuit aroundan electric lamp, either automatically or by hand, when for any reasonit becomes necessary or desirable to form such circuit in order topreserve the continuity of the general circuit upon which the lamp isplaced.

The object of my invention is to provide an efficient means whereby abranch or safety shunt may be automatically formed and pre served aroundan electricarc lamp in case through any derangement of the lamp thecarbons fail to feed, and the arc therefore becomes abnormally long.

My invention is also designed to afford a means whereby the branch orsafety circuit may be readily closed by hand, and may at any time beopened after having been formed, either automatically or by hand.

My invention consists in placing above or in proximity to the are aconductor connected with the general circuit, so that the transfer ofare or current to said conductor or the closing of a circuit by theimpingement of are upon .said conductor will close a circuit through anelectro-magnet or other device, and will thus cause the direct orindirect actuation of the circuit-closer whereby the branch or safetycircuit may be closed around the lamp. The electro-magnet thus energizedmay be in the branch or safety circuit formed, and its armature mayactuate directly the contacts for closing the same, so that the force ofthe magnet will tend to keep the circuit closed. lVhile thesafety'circuit is thus closed it may be desirable to open the same, andto allow this to be done I provide an extra or supplementalswitch,(tha-t may be, if desired, ahandswitchQ which is arranged so thatit may complete a shunt around said magnet, thus causing the armature ofthe latter to fall back and open the safety or branch circuit.

In order to permit the lamp to be extinguished at will, I provide anextra switch, to be operated, preferably, by hand, and suitably arrangedand connected to close thecircuit through the said magnet, which, beingenergized, draws forward its armature and completes and holds closed thesafety or branch circuit until said branch is opened through theshunting of the magnet by the hand-switch first mentioned or throughother means.

The hand-switch just described for putting out the lamp may be arrangedin any convenient place, either in the same apartment with the lamp orin another location, and may be connected with said magnet by line andalmost invisible wires.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illus trates my inventiondiagrammatically. Fig.

2 illustrates one form of mechanism which I prefer to employ withordinary or non-focus- 7o ing arc-lamps for keeping in proper positionthe conductor by which the elongated arc closes a circuit for causingthe safety or branch circuit to be formed.

C 0 indicate the carbons of an electric 7 lamp, and A a conductor of anysuitablekind connected with the general circuit on one side of thecarbons by a wire, 5, and arranged above the arc, so that upon theformation of an abnormally long are atransfer of arc to said conductorwill take place, or by the highlyconducting heated products of the are acircuit will be closed between said conductor and a ring of metal orother form of conductor, B,thus closing a circuit from the point 7 ofthe main conductor to the point 6 in the other side of the are. In thiscircuitis placed an electromagnet, C, or other suitable device by whichthe closing of the ordinary safety or branch circuit may be effected. inthe present in- 0 stance the branch is closed by the armaturelever ofsaid electro-maguet, which is drawn toward the magnet and impingesagainst a contact. The safety branch thus closed includes theelcctro-magnet, which latter thus 5 acts to keep the said branch intact.

D indicates a hand-switch by which the magnet 0 may be momentarilyshunted, so that its armaturelever may fall back and break thesafety-circuit, and thus put the apparatus into :00

to or remote from the lamp. It may be operated by a cord, F, orotherwise, and is by preferencea self-opening switch, as indicated, madeself-opening by a spring, 6.

The conductor A may be supported in any desired manner, as also may thering B. If the carbon slides through the ring, there may obviously becontact between them, in which case the magnet should be placed in thecircuit from A, as is shown in Fig. 2. If the lamp is a focusing-lamp,the conductor A may be stationary; but if the lamp is non-focusing itshould be made to feed downward with the burning of the carbon, so as tobe always in proper relation to the arc. This may be effected by thearrangement shown in Fig. 2, where G indicates a wheel gearing with thecarbon or carbon-carrier, and having on its shafta pinion, H, that gearswith the rack-bar K, supporting the conductor A. The pinion is of propersize relatively to wheelG to lower the parts at the rate at which thearc shifts downward.

The conductorAconsists either of a ring or of one or moredownwardly-depending conducting-pins insulated from and supported by aring, B, which latter is carried by the rack and is in connection withthe positive side of the lamp by means of said rack and by reason of itscontact with the carbon sliding through it. a v

The conductor A is in connection with the negative side of the .lamp bymeans of the rod or stem L, which is attached to the conductor A, andagainst which rod bears the insulated spring M, connected with thenegative side of the lamp through the electro-magnet O, as indicated.The contact closed by the armature of said magnet serves in obviousmanner to complete and preserve a branch around the arc and through themagnet. I

The other devices herein described are omitted from the drawings, as arealso the ordinary parts of an electric lamp, for the sake of simplicity.

Ido not limit myself to the form of the conductor A, the gist of theinvention consisting in arranging and connecting the same so that theenlarged arc will by means of said conductor close a circuit, by which ashunting or cutting out of the lamp may be eflected.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination-,with an electriclamp, of a branch or safety circuit, a magnet in said branch or safetycircuit, a circuit-closer acted upon in opposite directions by saidmagnet,

and a suitable retractor, so as to be held closed by the attraction ofsaid magnet and to be opened by the falling away of the magnets armatureunder the influence of the retractor when the magnet loses its power,and a switch for completing a shunt around said magnet, whereby thesafety circuit may be opened.

2. The combination, with an electric lamp, of a branch or shunt circuitaround the lamp, an electro-magnet in said shunt for holding the sameclosed, and a supplemental handswitch connected with said magnet forclosing the circuit through the same, whereby the same may be energizedto close the shunt-contacts.

3. The combination, with an electric'lamp, of a conductor placed nearthe arc and connected with one side of the lamp, as described, wherebyan abnormal lengthening of the arc current will flow across the spacebetween an electrode and said conductor, and a circuit containingdevices whereby a safety or shunt or branch may be closed around thelamp upon the closing of said circuit through the conductor by anabnormally long are, as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, in an electric lamp, of a conductor, which is'placednear the arc and closes the safety-circuit of a switching device whenthe arc is transferred thereto, and means for moving said conductorcorrespondingly with the shifting in position of the arc by consumptionof the electrodvsso that the conductor may be kept in the same positionwith relation to the arc.

5. The combination, with safety switch appliances in an electric-arclamp, of a conductor in continued proximity to the electric arc andconnected with one side of the lamp, as described, whereby on abnormallengthening of the are a current will flow from one electrode to saidconductor across the space he tween them.

6. The combination, with an electric lamp, of a conductor placed nearthe arc, and a safety-shunt or branch'circuit closer controlled by theaction of the current passing across the space between said conductorand a lamp-electrode upon the formation of an abnormally I Witnesses:

JOSEPH J. SKINNER, .E. WILBUR RICE.

